


'A Very Blairy Christmas'

by Katef



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, First Christmas, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2016-12-02
Packaged: 2018-09-03 19:18:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8727097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katef/pseuds/Katef
Summary: AU.  Jim learns to appreciate the season of goodwill with a little help from his new friend.





	

**Author's Note:**

> My only attempt (so far) at Christmas story, this was written in December 2012 for the final edition of My Mongoose E-zine. It was dedicated to Patt and Lisa for their years of hard work in supplying such a wonderful collection of TS fic for grateful fans.  
> Merry Xmas, one and all!
> 
> Kate x

**The Week before Christmas: Blair’s Warehouse:**   


Blair Sandburg shuffled across his makeshift living space which he had partitioned off from the rest of the echoing cavern of disused warehouse by means of old pallets and packing cases. He glared balefully at his decrepit space heaters which were fighting a losing battle against the increasing chill, and blew on his gloved fingers, ruefully noting that he could now actually see his breath misting in the cold air. 

Although hardly large in either height or build, he was wearing so many layers of clothing at present in an effort to avert impending hypothermia that he was certain that he resembled the Pillsbury Dough Boy. He could barely flex his limbs at knee and elbow because of the excess padding, so he waddled comically over to his tiny kitchen space intending to make himself a cup of tea with which to warm his hands as well as his insides. 

As well as donning his multiple layers, he had tucked his long curls up into his furry ‘Fargo’ hat, complete with ear flaps, and on his hands he wore the type of fingerless gloves which had an extra piece attached which he could pull over his chilled digits to convert them into mittens when dexterity wasn’t a necessity. 

Exposing his fingers for the minimum time required, he put the teakettle on to boil on his small two burner stove, and grabbed a mug and a teabag. He didn’t bother to check the battered tabletop refrigerator because he already knew there was nothing inside but half a tin of baked beans and a chunk of hardening cheese. Definitely no milk or lemon for his tea. 

Once the drink was made, he clasped the mug carefully in half frozen hands, savouring the warmth as it tingled through his palms and shuffling stiff-legged back to his ratty sofa bed. Placing the mug carefully down on the packing case which served as his coffee / occasional table, he lowered himself slowly onto the sagging seat as close as possible to the pitiful warmth from the space heaters before taking his mug into his hands again, closing his eyes in bliss as he took a sip from the hot brew. 

After a while, and half a mug of tea later, Blair felt a little more human, but was still uncomfortably chilled. He knew he was going to have problems as the evening wore on, so reluctantly began to consider his very limited options.  


\----------------------  


Blair was a grad student and Teaching Assistant in the Anthropology Department of Rainier University, Cascade, WA. He had been studying there since the tender age of sixteen, when he had broken away from his itinerant lifestyle of travelling the world with his single mom, Naomi, to settle down to a life in academia. A brilliant student, although he was still only twenty two years of age he already had his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees under his belt, but it had been a hard financial struggle. He had had to rely on student loans and infrequent fees from published articles to supplement his tiny teaching stipend, often needing to augment it still further with occasional bar work and burger-flipping simply to avoid starving, preferring to spend every available penny on the purchase of books, magazines and teaching materials. 

The last six months however had been particularly hard, because Blair had had to give up his rooms in a shared house. It was partly due to an impossibly large hike in the rent, and also because he had taken temporary custody of Larry, a small Barbary ape on loan from the Psychology Department. Blair had wanted to do a study paper on the effects of TV violence on higher primates, but there were very few places prepared to let Larry share living space with him. In the end his only alternative had been to rent part of this disused warehouse in a seedy dockside area of Cascade. 

To be honest, at first it hadn’t been so bad, what with Larry as company, and warmer weather – by Cascade standards at least. But once the study was done and the paper submitted (which earned him yet another Distinction) he had had to return his little friend, and suddenly the empty space felt lonely and oppressive. 

With Thanksgiving over, and Christmas fast approaching, he had had no chance of finding alternative accommodation, and as the weather worsened, so did his plight. 

As Blair stared dismally into his mug there was a sharp snap and shrill squeal from the rafters high above his head, making him cringe and grimace in disgust. Although the warehouse was lonely without Larry as company, Blair wasn’t exactly ‘alone’. He had plenty of other four-legged creatures trying to share his space. 

Now if they’d been cutesy little mice, Blair wouldn’t have minded so much, but these were rats the size of terriers, and he truly loathed them. After the shock of waking up one night to find one on his chest, nearly nose-to-nose with him, he had freaked and gotten hold of as many traps as he could beg, steal or borrow. He had managed to catch more than a few, but had the fanciful notion that they were probably ganging up on him, plotting on how to either drive him out or eat him during his sleep, which did nothing at all to help his insomnia. 

He had really hoped to be able to spend the Christmas break with his mom Naomi, but once again she had backed off, leaving him a cheery voicemail message just two days ago. 

“Hi Sweetie! Just wanted to say hello, darling, and tell you that I’m afraid I won’t be in Taos for Christmas after all. Moonflower – you remember Moonflower, don’t you Sweetie? Well, she’s travelling to Nepal to spend some time at her latest guru’s retreat, and has asked me to go with her. It sounds so exciting, darling! I think he’ll be really good for me! And I’m sure you won’t miss me, Sweetie. After all, you’ll have all those wild student parties to go to, won’t you? 

“I’ll give you a call when I get back, probably some time near the end of January. 

“Take care, Sweetie, love you lots, and happy Hanukkah, Christmas, whatever!” and she had laughed merrily and rung off, leaving a resigned but deeply disappointed Blair staring at his answer machine. 

To be honest, he hadn’t really expected her to come through for him as they’d only spent one holiday season together since he started at Rainer. But this year most of his friends were either going home for Christmas, or spending the break elsewhere and there was no way he could afford to get away and join them. 

He intended to offer his services at the local shelter on Christmas Day, knowing that they were always grateful for willing volunteers, and at least he’d get a good meal at the end of his shift. However, other than that it was either spend as much time as he could working in his tiny cubbyhole of an office or lingering in the library during the restricted opening hours before trudging back to his freezing warehouse. 

He wondered disconsolately if anyone would notice if he froze to death? Probably not for days, and then there were the rats.... 

Shuddering with horror at the thought, he raised his mug to his lips to drain the last of the now lukewarm tea when there was a huge explosion at the other end of the warehouse, and he was thrown from his sofa, shocked and dazed from the blast.  


\--------------------------  


**Jim:**  


Detective Jim Ellison scowled viciously as he picked up the call from the dispatcher, confirming his intention to attend a reported explosion in the warehouse district even though he felt pretty much like shit at the moment. After all, he was fairly close to the scene, and it might serve to take his mind off his current woes. Responding accordingly, he turned his truck around and headed off, cursing his pounding headache, and reaching for his wraparound sunglasses to shield watering eyes even though there was actually no sun to be seen from behind the heavy, snow-filled clouds that covered Cascade right now. 

Because Jim had a problem. One which seemed set to destroy his life as he knew it if he couldn’t find some respite, and that looked highly unlikely to date.   


\--------------------  


Some weeks back, while on a lone surveillance operation, Jim suddenly found that all of his senses had suddenly become incredibly enhanced. In theory that should have been a huge advantage, especially in his role as a cop, but in practice it was a real problem, because he had no idea how to control them. Therefore, he was stricken by spikes of sensory input at the most inconvenient times, sometimes to the extent of being totally incapacitated or even actually losing time, which was by far the most frightening aspect. And his Captain, Simon Banks, hadn’t really been that much help, even if he sympathised with his detective. After all, the doctors had confirmed that there was no physical reason for Jim’s problems, which left him burdened with the implication that the symptoms were psychosomatic in nature. OK, fine, he didn’t have anything awful like a brain tumour, but he surely hated the sideways sneers he got from those of his less sympathetic colleagues who thought he was bucking for a medical discharge. 

And more worrying still was the fear that he could get one of his colleagues shot if he had one of his ‘episodes’ in the middle of a fire fight. 

All in all, Jim was nearly at his wits’ end as to how to proceed, and the fact that it was the holiday season did nothing to cheer him at all. 

He had never been one to enjoy Christmas ever since leaving home to join the army, and once he had become a cop, he always volunteered to work the holiday shifts so family men – and women – could spend the time at home. And now it was so much worse, especially on a day like today when he had been forced to endure the horrors of **The Mall** , filled to the brim with lights, scents, noises and everything Jim loathed about Christmas. 

Snarling in recollection, Jim knew he had had no choice but to go there, since he was following up a promising lead into the investigation of a drug smuggling gang, and his ‘snitch’ had insisted on meeting up in the crowded food court of Cascade’s biggest mall. So, although there for less than an hour, and with some useful information under his belt, Jim knew that if one more animated Santa ‘ho ho ho-ed’ at him, he’d rip its robotic head off – and then there were the twinkly lights and over-decorated trees. 

And let’s not even _mention_ screaming kids and stressed-out parents.... 

Grinding his teeth together in barely-controlled rage, Jim completed the rest of the trip to the scene driving like a demon, throwing the truck into park as he jumped down to be briefed by the nearest uniformed cop, who had been one of the first responders.  


\----------------------  


“Hey, Murphy, what’ve you got here?” 

“Detective Ellison. Good to see you, sir. Well, the fire’s nearly under control now, because the explosion was fairly localised. Seems there was a meth lab set up in the rear of this warehouse, and we have three fatalities who’re all wearing the colours of the ‘38 Specials’. Two others are still alive, but in a bad way, and are being prepped for transport to Cascade General as we speak. I don’t think you’ll be getting much from them, if anything for a while. 

“I don’t know what would have caused the blast – the forensics guys are ready to go in as soon as the area’s been made safe – but I guess it could be some kind of gang-related conflict? There’s another survivor though, but I doubt he had anything to do with it. Some homeless kid by the looks of it, who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He’s over there being checked out by the EMTs, and my partner’s trying to get some sense out of him...” 

Suddenly Murphy realised he was talking to thin air as Jim, with a look of intense concentration on his handsome face, turned away and stalked purposefully towards the ambulance some little distance away where a shabby and soot-covered figure was talking animatedly to Murphy’s partner even as he tried to avoid the attentions of the medic trying to check him over. 

Although not immediately conscious of the fact, all Jim’s senses suddenly settled miraculously, and he was able to tune in to the smaller man’s conversation even as he scanned him in minute detail. 

At first glance the kid certainly looked like a homeless person. He seemed to be wearing nearly every article of clothing he possessed, but even tainted by smoke and stress, his unique scent was mouth-watering, and Jim’s sensitive nose told him that the young man was clean and healthy under all those layers. Dark auburn curls escaped from beneath a comical ‘Fargo’ hat, which now had a large scorch mark on the back, and the soot-streaked face was arrestingly attractive. Firm jaw sporting a heavy five o’clock shadow, he had high cheekbones, lush lips and beautiful huge blue eyes which were presently fixed on his interviewer in one of the most impressive puppy dog pleading expressions Jim had ever witnessed. 

“Look man, I already _told_ you! I live here – like, legally! Look, just check out my driver’s license, OK? I’m a grad student and teacher at Rainier. Can I just see if any of my stuff survived? And I don’t need treating, honestly” – this to the long-suffering EMT trying to check his vital signs. “I can’t afford the costs, man, and the U’s insurance cover isn’t very comprehensive, OK?” 

“OK, Mr - er – Sandburg,” his interviewer was saying somewhat cynically. “Even if you are legit, how come you didn’t know about what was going on at the other end of your warehouse? Do you mean to say you didn’t hear anything?” 

“That’s exactly what I’m saying, man. I mean, that place is _huge_ and my living area is right at the front. And there’s always some noise, man. I mean, you have to see the size of the rats, man!” and he held out his hands to demonstrate how big they were. 

Just then he glanced up and saw Jim approaching, and his words dried in his mouth as he checked out the new arrival. 

_Holy shit! He’s a god! And he looks really mad. Just my frickin’ luck – the most gorgeous hunk I’ve seen in months, and he looks like he wants to kill me!_

Blair swallowed hard as his eyes met cold, ice blue ones, and he shivered with something that had nothing to do with the cold. 

As for Jim, he was completely unnerved at his own reaction, which was a strong desire to grab hold of the young man and bury his nose against that long neck, and lick at the soft skin behind the neat shell of the ear he could just make out under the flap of the fur hat. And as for that hair – gods, it looked so silky. His fingers itched to tangle in the curls.... 

Clamping down viciously on his unexpected – and very inconvenient - responses, his words came out far harsher than he intended. 

“I’ll take over now, thanks, Kowalski. You can go and help your partner with directing the clear up. This witness is coming with me,” and he reached out to grip the young man’s upper arm in a proprietary gesture. 

Ignoring the uniform’s indignant expression at being summarily dismissed, Jim also barely heard the EMT’s words, merely nodding abstractedly as he muttered snarkily, “Well, if you don’t need me, I’m going to help my colleagues with getting the _real_ casualties to the ER!” 

Tightening his hold on Sandburg’s arm, he towed the surprised and protesting man towards his truck, saying, “We’ll carry on the questioning in here, Chief. No point in standing around in the cold, and you’re already chilled.” 

“Well, I wasn’t a few minutes ago,” grumped the young man as he climbed reluctantly into the passenger seat. “In fact, it was getting downright toasty in there. Warmest I’ve been in days. 

“Look, man, like I’ve been telling the officer, I really was living there. I don’t have much stuff, I admit, but there might be something surviving. And I have a duffel in my car over there,” and he pointed to a beat-up old Corvair parked just down the block. 

“OK, kid. If the fire fighters give us the all clear before we’ve finished our little talk, I’ll go in with you, all right?” But I don’t want you going in there alone. It’s way too dangerous!” 

And Jim was as bemused at his own words as Sandburg seemed to be. Just where did that protective instinct come from? 

Coughing to cover his slight embarrassment, Jim continued, “Right then, so you’re a student at Rainier. What’s your full name, kid?” 

“Check out my driving license, man,” replied Blair nodding at the piece of plastic clutched in Jim’s hand, as the detective had appropriated it from Kowalski. 

“And I’m not a kid,” he complained, folding his arms across his chest. “I’m twenty two. And I’ve been at Rainier since I was sixteen! I can take care of myself!” and Jim smirked a little, thinking that Sandburg did look incredibly young at the moment, and that he would probably be stamping his foot in temper if he was standing up right now. 

“Sure thing, k.., er, Mr Sandburg,” Jim replied, trying somewhat unsuccessfully to contain his sniggers which broke out into an outright guffaw at Sandburg’s irritated glare. 

“OK, OK, man. I get it. I guess from your point of view this whole situation must seem kind of weird,” and Blair’s face returned a rueful grin. 

“Question away, man, and I’ll try to tell you as much as I can, but I doubt it’ll be much help. Like I already told the other officer, I had no idea there was anyone else in the warehouse, let alone drugs. Do you think those other guys will be OK?” he added worriedly, heading off on another tangent. 

“I mean, I know they’re bad guys and all, but they looked in a bad way when they were brought out.” 

“I can’t say, Mr Sandburg. If they do survive they’re looking at some hard time anyway, so don’t waste your sympathy. Anyhow,” he continued. “What made you choose to live here, Chief? This is a bad neighbourhood at the best of times, and frankly you don’t look like someone who should be here. You’re an academic, right?” 

“And I suppose in your eyes that makes me some kind of wimp, huh?” sniped Blair. 

“Look, man, I know my mom Naomi taught me about peace, love and understanding, but I travelled around the world as a kid, and I’ve been on some pretty testing anthropology expeditions, so I’m not entirely helpless. But I appreciate your concern, Detective. 

“And as for living here, well, it was all I could afford. And the only place I could keep Larry.” 

“Larry, Chief? You had someone else living with you? Is he still around? Could he have seen anything?” 

“’Uh, no, Detective. Larry is a Barbary ape. He was just staying with me temporarily while I was doing a study. I had to take him back to the U when I’d finished. Shame, though. I really miss the little guy...” 

“Riiight,” drawled Jim, more than a little intrigued. “So, what will you do now, Chief? Is there somewhere you can go after you’ve given your statement downtown?” 

“Not that I can think of, Detective,” Blair replied glumly. “Most of my friends are out of town, and the shelters will be full soon. I guess I can sleep in the car – or on my office floor if the security guard will let me in.” 

Feeling an unaccustomed concern for the other man, Jim frowned in consternation before saying, “OK, Mr Sandburg. We’ll see what we can sort out later. Meanwhile, let me go and ask the Fire Chief if we can go in yet,” and he climbed out of the truck, leaving a very unsettled Blair staring after him.  


\-----------------------  


**Major Crimes Unit, Cascade PD later that evening:**  


Blair sat disconsolately in an interview room, nursing a cup of pretty awful break room coffee. He had written and signed his statement, such as it was, and was now contemplating his movements from now on. He had been assured that he wasn’t a suspect –yet, at least – and that he would be free to go as soon as his paperwork was processed, but where to, he had no idea. 

He toyed with the notion of sleeping in his car, but knew very well that Detective Ellison – ‘call me Jim’ – didn’t approve of that at all. In fact, he had been so irate at the suggestion that Blair wouldn’t have been a bit surprised if the man didn’t follow him and arrest him for his own good. 

And he hadn’t liked the suggestion of Blair sleeping on his office floor either. So what was he supposed to do? He couldn’t even afford a room in a cheap motel right now, so the situation looked pretty grim. And the shelters would certainly have closed their doors for the night by this time. 

On the plus side, he had persuaded Jim to let him poke around the warehouse, and he had gratefully seized his old backpack, which had miraculously managed to escape the worst of the blast, and also survive water damage from the fire hoses. Considering it held his beloved old laptop and several of his favourite books and papers amongst other necessities, he had been deeply relieved. However, pretty much everything else was history, so it was as well that he kept most of his precious books, files and artefacts in his office. 

As he was usually a ‘glass half-full’ kind of guy, he looked on the bright side as much as he could, grateful that at least he had a change of clothes, his computer, and his car. Everything else was fairly easily replaced – given the funds, that was. 

And what was it about Jim Ellison? Sure, he made Adonis look plain, but it wasn’t just that. Blair was the first to admit he admired a beautiful body, be it male or female, but there was definitely something more. Something intriguing that niggled at the back of his mind. He was simply too exhausted right now to pull it up from the veritable encyclopaedia of his brain, so sighing deeply, he pushed his coffee aside and laid his head down on his clasped hands for a moment, sleep tugging down his eyelids. 

It seemed mere seconds later when he was roused from slumber by a gentle hand shaking his shoulder. Blearily looking up, he made out a smiling Jim bending over him, and struggled to make out what the man was saying. 

“Come on, Sleeping Beauty! You’re coming home with me. Don’t bother to argue, Chief. I’ve already told Captain Banks, so there’s no problem.” Well, not too much, anyhow. And Jim grimaced inwardly as he pictured Simon’s flabbergasted – and very unhappy – features when Jim told him his intentions. 

“Why the _hell_ would you invite some scruffy kid back to the loft, Jim? Are you out of your mind? He’ll probably rob you blind – if he doesn’t take advantage of your - you know – ‘problem!’” 

“I know what I’m doing, Captain. I can’t explain how I know it, but I trust him. And it feels right somehow. 

“Look, I promise I’ll be careful. And it’s a funny thing, but the senses have been just fine since I arrived at the scene of the explosion. It’s probably a completely fanciful notion, but a part of me wants to believe it’s because of this kid. Just don’t ask me to explain it yet,” and he had tailed off, a perplexed expression clouding his features. 

So here he was, guiding Blair Sandburg down to the parking garage with a possessive and supportive arm around the groggy man’s waist, oblivious to the few amazed or scandalised looks thrown his way as he passed, and only too glad that the younger man was plainly too tired to protest.  


\------------------  


**Shortly after - The Loft:**  


When Jim entered 852 Prospect, he was greatly relieved to see that the ancient elevator was working for once, because he really didn’t fancy the idea of trying to get an almost comatose Sandburg up several flights of stairs to #307. Even getting Blair to the loft door posed enough problems as he juggled the young man’s backpack, duffel and the man himself along the corridor. 

Finally propping his guest against the wall, he opened the door and threw the bags inside before scooping up the lax body and staggering to the small room under the stairs where he intended to let the young man sleep. 

Grunting with exertion, Jim was glad he spent so much time working out at the gym, because Sandburg was no lightweight. Although Jim could tell that he was quite slender beneath all his layers of clothes, he was solidly built and not at all frail despite appearances, and Jim had to rein his imagination in tightly as his unruly thoughts conjured up various racy scenes involving himself and the man in his arms. 

Scolding himself roundly, he laid the sleeping man on the folded out futon and stood back for a moment contemplating the peaceful face. 

Jim knew that, from a purely practical point of view, he would have to undress his guest if the young man wasn’t to wake up feeling desperately uncomfortable. Firmly curbing his wild thoughts, he began to strip off layers, which was quite some task due to the sheer amount of clothing items Blair had managed to pull on. Jim almost chuckled out loud at the image of an over-wrapped parcel, or, more amusingly, one of those wooden Russian dolls where you kept pulling them in half and finding smaller and smaller ones inside. 

Eventually, and surprised that Blair hadn’t even stirred during his ministrations, Jim finally got down to underwear, and at that point he tucked the young man under the covers, deciding that sleep was the best remedy for him right now. 

Although it wasn’t particularly late, Jim decided he may as well have an early night himself, since he felt so comfortable and relaxed, senses definitely settled in his visitor’s presence. Yep, scent, sight, touch and hearing were all very happy, thank you very much. But Jim knew that taste would have to wait. No way was he going to take advantage of a sleeping man.... 

As he climbed into bed, enjoying the feel of crisp sheets that for once didn’t feel like sandpaper against his skin, Jim sent out his hearing and easily made out the soft sounds of Blair’s breathing, as well as a soothing and rhythmic drumming, which Jim eventually realised, was the young man’s heart beat. Settling down to sleep, Jim’s last conscious thoughts were all involved with how to convince Sandburg to stay, because he knew for sure he wanted to keep him.  


\----------------------  


Several hours later, Blair finally roused; needing the bathroom fairly urgently as his bladder protested from all the coffee he had drunk at the PD. Opening bleary eyes, he found that it was still dark, and he was immediately disorientated. Where the hell was he? The last thing he remembered was falling asleep in the interview room, and a few disjointed impressions of being half-carried elsewhere, but where? From the feel of it, he definitely wasn’t sleeping on his office floor; and _what the hell?_ He was stripped down to his underwear! 

Deciding that finding a bathroom was paramount right now, he struggled out from beneath some very warm bedcovers, and groped around searching blindly for some sort of light switch. Cursing softly as he stubbed his toe on something hard and unyielding, he almost leapt out of his skin when a disembodied voice floated down from above. 

“You OK down there, Chief? What do you need?” 

“Uh, is that you, Jim? Where am I? Uh, I need the bathroom, man, and I can’t see a thing.” 

“Just a minute, Chief. I’m coming down,” and he heard the soft thuds of bare feet running lightly down a wooden staircase. 

He squeaked in surprise as a tall figure loomed over him in the gloom of the doorway, confused when Jim took his arm. 

“This way, Chief. You weren’t awake enough to have the grand tour last night. Bathroom’s down here...” 

“Um, Jim, man, I still can’t see anything worth shit. Can we have a light on?” 

“Oh, sorry Chief. Er, I guess I’m just used to the layout,” Jim replied, hoping to cover that fact that his enhanced vision was perfectly adequate in the near darkness. 

Reaching out, he flipped a switch and the hallway was bathed in light. “There you go, Sandburg. The door on the right. I’ll leave you to it. See you in the morning,” and he left his bewildered guest to take care of business. Not wanting to have to get involved in potentially awkward explanations right now, he took himself back up to bed, but not before turning on the small bedside lamp in Blair’s room so that the young man could navigate his way back to his temporary quarters.  


\----------------------------  


**The loft, next morning:**  


Jim was up and about and preparing breakfast when a yawning and dishevelled Sandburg emerged from the small room under the stairs. The eyes in the beard-stubbled young face were barely open, and Blair’s curls stuck out every which way in one of the worst cases of bed hair Jim had ever seen. The young man had pulled on an oversized plaid shirt in lieu of a robe, and the overall picture was absolutely adorable. 

“Hey, man,” the vision mumbled. “Is it OK to have a shower? I feel pretty grungy here,” and he scratched desultorily at an armpit. 

“Yeah, no problem, Chief. In fact, that’s a very good idea,” chuckled Jim. “Can we say ‘ripe’?” 

“Sorry, man. Guess it can’t be very nice for you if you can smell me from over there,” Blair muttered, turning towards the bathroom. 

“Er, S’OK, Sandburg. Towels are in the closet. It’s not a very big hot water tank, though, so don’t expect to stay in too long,” Jim replied, mentally kicking himself for nearly giving away his heightened sense of smell. He would have to be a lot more careful he realised, having barely gotten away with explaining away his visual acuity last night. It wasn’t that he wanted to keep his senses a secret from Sandburg permanently, because he knew that wouldn’t be possible or desirable, but it was too soon to reveal them to the younger man. He really needed to wait until their relationship was on a much firmer footing before coming clean with his reason for wanting Blair to stay. 

Reassured by Blair’s languid wave and, “Thanks, man,” he turned his attention back to putting together the eggs and toast he wanted for breakfast.  


\---------------------  


Breakfast over with and cleanup done, Blair rather diffidently asked if he could hitch a ride to the PD to collect his car from the parking garage. Conversation up until then had been light and inconsequential, but now he had to face up to some serious decision-making. 

When Jim replied, “Sure, Chief, but I’m going in a couple minutes. You ready now?” 

Nodding quickly, Blair turned to go to the small under-stairs room. “Thanks man! I’ll just grab my bags, OK?” and that was all the excuse Jim needed. 

“No need, Sandburg! You’ll be coming back here anyway, won’t you? And you’ll need to launder most of your clothes also. They stink of smoke!” 

Pausing mid-stride, Blair swung back to face him, confusion written all over his face. 

“Um, coming back here? But why, Jim? I mean, I’m really grateful that you put me up for the night, but you can’t want me hanging around your place any longer, surely?” 

Grabbing his coat as if he hadn’t a care in the world, Jim replied nonchalantly, “Why not, Chief? You won’t get anywhere else this close to Christmas, and it’s not as if I’m going to be here much anyway. I always work extra shifts over the break, so you’re welcome to stay here. 

“It’s OK, Sandburg,” he continued with a grin. “I trust you, kiddo, and it’ll be nice to have a bit of company for a while. Here you go!” and he handed over a spare key to a bemused and speechless Sandburg. 

“Now come on or we’ll be late. Once you’ve picked up your car, you’ll be able to make yourself at home,” and he ushered Blair out of the door.  


\----------------------  


**The loft, mid-afternoon:**  


With a sigh of satisfaction, Blair let himself into #307, smiling happily as he looked around him. He was so grateful to Jim, even if he couldn’t understand why the Detective should be so hospitable towards a homeless grad student and complete stranger. It was a huge load off his mind to have at least a few days’ grace in which to find another place, although anything he could come up with was going to look pretty poor in comparison to Jim’s apartment. 

Sure, it was Spartan as far as decor was concerned, but it was spotlessly clean, bright and airy, and had a great view of the harbour from the balcony. It did seem rather impersonal, though, and Blair wondered why Jim had refrained from attempting to add any homely touches. 

But then again, he thought he just might be forming a plausible theory about that amongst other things.  


\-------------------------  


After picking up his car, Blair had gone first of all to his warehouse, where he had managed to salvage one or two more small items which he stowed in the trunk. However, everything else was pretty much destroyed, either from the blast or from water damage, so basically all he had left was what he had grabbed last night and the stuff he kept in his tiny office at the U. Refusing to be depressed, however, he then drove over to Rainier, intending to spend a while in his office and in the library; because there was something specific he wanted to look up. 

Over the previous evening and night, he had had so much on his mind; mostly concerning his immediate prospects; that he hadn’t really given much thought to anything else. Now, however, he had had time to relax a little, and his agile mind had supplied several intriguing scenarios concerning his benefactor. 

Sure enough, after looking up a few references and doing some concentrated reading and note-taking, he thought he knew what was going on with Jim, but now needed to find the right opportunity to broach the subject, because the last thing he wanted was to offend the guy, especially in view of Jim’s generous hospitality. 

Gathering together his books and notes, he returned to the loft, intending to prepare something for dinner, by way of a ‘thank you’ to Jim.  


\-----------------  


So here he was, back in the loft, and checking out the food cupboards for ingredients for a casserole which he hoped the older man would enjoy. Finding what he was looking for, he then spent a while doing his laundry down in the building’s basement, smiling happily to himself and thinking that small luxuries like clean clothing made all the difference to his frame of mind. And finding someone who might turn out to be a good friend was even better. Especially one who looked like Jim....  


\-----------------  


Several hours later, Jim approached #307, and couldn’t resist smiling to himself. The senses, which had behaved reasonably well during the day, were now completely settled, confirming his suspicions that Sandburg did have a beneficial influence on them. He could scent something which smelled delicious. Something other than Sandburg himself, that was, and Jim’s mouth began to water in anticipation. He could also hear the younger man singing along to some light rock programme, and the kid’s voice was really good. 

Opening the door quietly, Jim stepped inside, deliberately waiting a few moments before announcing his arrival so he could watch Blair’s antics as he bopped happily around the kitchen, oblivious to his delighted audience. 

After a while, Jim coughed and rattled the door handle conspicuously so as not to scare Blair with his sudden appearance, and grinned cheerfully as the young man turned, face alight with pleasure. 

“Hey, Jim! How’re you doing, man? Good day at the office?” the smaller man said with a decidedly mischievous twinkle in his beautiful blue eyes. 

“I hope you don’t mind, man, but I put together a casserole for dinner. I thought it was the least I could do to repay your hospitality. It’ll be ready in about twenty minutes, so you’ve got time to shower and change if you want...” 

“Hey, breathe, Sandburg!” responded Jim with a grin. “How do you manage to say so much without taking a breath, kiddo? Anyhow, in reply to your questions, yes, I had a pretty good day. Caught a good lead to follow up on one of MCU’s ongoing cases, and tied up some loose ends on another. And no, I don’t mind you cooking at all, Chief. It’ll be nice to have something prepared for me, and it smells really good. And yes, I’ll go grab a quick shower and get into something more comfortable...” and he almost choked on his laughter at the suggestive eyebrow waggling Blair sent his way. 

_Gods, I think I’m falling for him already! And it feels so good to have him here. Like he belongs. Makes the loft feel like home..._

Trotting up the stairs to the loft bedroom, Jim whistled softly as he grabbed his favourite sweats and ran back down again to take his customary five-minute shower.  


\-------------------  


Dinner was a real success for both men. Jim found that the casserole was every bit as good as it smelled, and his taste buds thoroughly appreciated the treat. He had become so used to his food in recent months being either so totally bland or tasting as if someone tipped a whole pot of chilli pepper in it that he had lost interest in eating to a great extent. But in Blair’s presence, he felt he could start to enjoy the experience again. 

And the young man was a great conversationalist. He kept Jim amused with anecdotes and jokes which may or may not be far-fetched. Even if some of his stories did seem a little out there, Jim was still in no doubt that Blair had certainly been around and experienced much more in his short life than most other folks would ever do. And he was obviously very bright. The few facts Jim managed to prise out of him as regards his studies and qualifications were enough to convince Jim that the young man was most likely the most intelligent person he had ever encountered, and he was no slouch himself in that department. 

Once the washing up had been done, they sat together with a beer in front of the TV, and Jim surfed the channels until he found what he was looking for. 

“You like basketball, Sandburg?” he asked hopefully. 

“Yeah, sure, man! I love following the Jags, and I play pretty well myself. Being so short I can duck under most guys’ arms,” he explained with a grin. 

“Great! We’ll have to play some one-on-one when the weather gets better,” replied Jim, and they settled down to watch the game, making ribald comments where appropriate and thoroughly enjoying each other’s company. 

Once the match was over, the Jags having won by the skin of their teeth, the two men retired to bed after exchanging friendly, “G’Nights,” and Blair settled down to sleep with a contented smile on his face, even though he hadn’t yet managed to introduce the topic of his research. But he would tomorrow, for sure....  


\---------------------  


**The loft, following evening:**  


With a spring in his step, Jim approached his apartment as he had yesterday; extending senses that had once again calmed and settled the moment he entered the building. Once again something smelled pretty good, and he wondered what culinary delight Sandburg had come up with this time. Blair had insisted that he buy some groceries since Jim wouldn’t take any rent money from him, so Jim had agreed reluctantly on the proviso that Blair didn’t spend too much. 

He could also hear his new roommate singing, this time to Christmas music, and strains of ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ came from behind the closed door. This time however, Jim wasn’t smiling, as there was something else he could smell, and it wasn’t anything he wanted in his apartment. Not only was Blair playing and singing along to Jim’s least favourite seasonal music, but there were definite scents of candles and Christmas _pot pourri_ coming from within, and his nose was already itching in reaction. 

Pushing open the door with little ceremony, he stopped dead in his tracks as Blair spun round to greet him, only for the younger man’s excited face to freeze in shock at the cold fury in Jim’s eyes. 

Glaring around him, Jim saw that his loft had been transformed into the very thing he despised – a veritable celebration of Christmas. Blair had hung paper chains and artificial evergreen boughs from points within his reach, like the banisters and shelves, and seasonally scented candles burned in decorative candle holders on several surfaces such as the coffee and dining tables. A bright red potted poinsettia plant served as the dining table’s centrepiece, and a reasonably sized artificial tree, resplendent with lights and decorations had been set up near the balcony windows. 

All in all Blair had made a great job of decorating – and Jim hated it. 

“Hells Bells! What the **hell** have you done to my apartment?” he roared, grimly gratified when Blair jumped nervously in reaction. 

“I don’t celebrate Christmas, and I **don’t** appreciate your making a mess! For Pete’s sake, Sandburg, you’re not even a Christian! Why the hell should **you** want to celebrate it? And how could you afford all this anyway? Your checking account had less than two hundred dollars in it!” and he stared down into the pale young face, waiting impatiently for an answer. 

Momentarily lost for words, Blair’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly a couple of times before he found his voice again. 

“I I I’m sorry, Jim” he stammered. “I wanted to do something nice for you because you’ve been so good to me. I thought you might not have time to decorate for yourself, so I wanted to surprise you. I didn’t realise you hated the holiday season so much. 

“And yes, I do celebrate Christmas,” he continued, voice strengthening slightly as he explained. “And Hanukkah, Yule, Winter Solstice, whatever. I’m not a practicing Jew, and Naomi and I often found ourselves in different countries and cultures over the season, so we both celebrate the bits we like from many various religions and beliefs. And when I was a kid it often helped me to feel included,” he added quietly. 

“I just wanted to make you happy...” and he tailed off for a moment, eyes huge with disappointment and hurt, and making Jim feel suddenly as if he’d just kicked a puppy. 

However, just as he was going to make some sort of placating response, Blair’s face became animated again as he demanded angrily, “What do you mean, I’ve only got two hundred dollars in my checking account? Have you been running a check on me?” and he pointed an admonishing finger at the bigger man. 

Then, face changing again with mercurial speed; his expression became thoughtful as he answered himself ruefully. “Of course you did. Why wouldn’t you, man? I mean, it’s not like you know anything about me, and I could be some kind of con man or moocher, couldn’t I? 

“Look, man, I’ll take everything down, OK? And for your information, it didn’t cost me anything. These decorations were left over after the party me and a few other TAs threw for the kids at a nearby children’s home last week, so I thought I’d put them to good use. 

“Do you want to eat first, or shall I start taking them down right away? And can we say ‘Grinch?’” he added, almost _sotto voce._

Suitably distracted by Blair’s rapid-fire subject-changes, Jim suddenly realised that he wasn’t actually angry any more. Regretful, certainly, for flying off the handle and scolding Blair without even giving him a reason why. He was also ashamed for having unintentionally admitted to running a financial check on the grad student. He wasn’t sorry for doing it, because he’d only intended to help the younger man, and certainly hadn’t expected to find anything untoward. However, it was something that Blair hadn’t needed to know about, and the revelation had obviously caused him pain. 

He also realised belatedly that he actually quite liked the overall effect of the decorations, and hadn’t he been thinking only yesterday that Blair made the loft feel like a home? 

Sighing deeply, he stared at the brightly-lit tree for a moment before returning his attention to Blair, who was shuffling nervously from foot to foot awaiting Jim’s judgement. 

“OK Chief. Don’t look so worried. I’m sorry I blew up at you like that, and I didn’t mean to upset you with that crack about religion. And no, you don’t have to take it all down, OK? It took me by surprise, is all, but I appreciate you did it for the best of reasons. It’s just that I never liked Christmas much after my Mom left home when I was a kid, and afterwards, well, let’s just say it was easier to ignore it. And now I find it even more of a trial...” and he tailed off, unsure as to whether this was the right time to reveal his senses, and how troublesome he had found them recently. He cringed inwardly as visions of his trials and tribulations at the mall sprang to mind. 

He was amazed therefore when Blair touched his arm gently, eyes full of sympathy as he murmured, “How bad is it, Jim? Are all your senses affected, or just one or two? I’m so sorry if all this,” and he waved his arm to indicate the decorations, “is causing you pain. I’d hoped that it would be OK as long as I was here...” and he blushed then, glancing down at his feet, now dreading the fact that he was going to have to explain everything. 

When he looked up again, he was horrified to see that Jim’s face was white with shock, and that he had a hand pressed to his mouth. 

“Oh shit! I’m sorry, man! Look, let’s sit down, OK? You look like you want to throw up or something. Are you going to be OK?” 

Pushing Jim down onto the couch, he sat sideways beside him, hand rubbing the older man’s thigh comfortingly as he studied Jim’s face with concern. 

“I’m truly sorry if I’m out of line, here, Jim, but I got to thinking about a couple of things I noticed about you – your reactions, man. You’ve been so good to me; I wanted to help you so I did some research at the U, because I was sure I’d come across something like this before. If it’s OK with you, I’d like to explain about special people called Sentinels. And if after you’ve heard it, you want me to get lost, I’ll understand, man, truly...” and at Jim’s bemused nod, he began.  


\-------------------------  


It was some while time later when the two men finally sat facing each other in silence, each wondering what their next words should be. At some point during Blair’s lengthy explanation, Jim had taken time out to grab a couple of beers and Blair had turned off the stove so that the lasagne he’d prepared for dinner wouldn’t burn. 

Eventually, Jim looked up from where he had been studying the floor between his spread knees, and took in Blair’s worried features. The younger man was chewing his lip nervously as he awaited Jim’s response, plainly expecting the worst. 

“It’s OK, Junior,” Jim began, wanting first and foremost to reassure Blair that he wasn’t about to be thrown out on the street. 

“I got to say, Chief, that you’ve really taken the wind out of my sails with your revelation. I guess I should have realised that a smart guy like you – an anthropologist also – would have spotted something odd about me. 

“But these watchmen – these Sentinels. If I’ve understood correctly, they were highly prized by their tribes, huh? But what good do heightened senses do me? Can’t I turn them off now I know what they are?” 

“Um, no, Jim. I don’t think you **can** turn them off. But why would you want to, man? Just think, as a cop they give you a huge advantage! You’re a walking organic crime lab, man! And there’s nothing wrong with you, Jim. It’s a natural genetic variation, not an illness whatever your doctor’s suggested. You’re amazing, Jim, not a freak.” 

“Thanks Chief. It’s good to know that at least one person believes in me! But what about when I can’t control them? I mean, these – what did you call them? – zones. If I have one during some police operation, I could get someone killed if I freeze up. How on earth could I live with that?” 

“Um, well, that’s another thing,” began Blair shyly, a blush spreading slowly – and very attractively – from neck to hairline. “You see, from what I’ve read, each Sentinel had a companion. A Guide, if you will, who watched his back and made sure he didn’t get lost in his senses. We just need to find someone who can do it for you, Jim. Perhaps there’s someone you could work with when you’re out in the field?” And even as he spoke, he knew he’d hate it if someone else was to become Jim’s partner. 

He glanced up quickly to read Jim’s reaction to his words, and was almost overwhelmed by the love and understanding in the older man’s eyes as he smiled softly at Blair. 

“Well, I don’t know about you, Chief, but I think I’ve already found my Guide. I just hope my Guide feels the same way,” and he reached across and gripped Blair’s knee. 

“The moment I saw you at the warehouse my senses seemed to settle down. I felt compelled to take care of you – to protect you and take you home with me. I had no idea what it was all about, but I have to say I’m so grateful to you for finding out about me and explaining everything. But I honestly don’t think I can do it without you, Blair. I’m certain there’s no one at the PD who can ground me the way you do.” 

As he spoke, he carefully studied the younger man’s face, and watched the varied expressions chasing themselves across the mobile features. Blair’s beautiful face was lit by amazement, happiness and incredulity by turn, only to finish with a touch of anxiety. 

“Oh man, that – that’s wonderful! I mean, I’m so glad you don’t hate me for prying into your life. But I was afraid that there might be a problem. I mean, I sort of hoped for your sake that perhaps I’d misunderstood, but I don’t think I did. There really does seem to be one Guide for each Sentinel. I’m so sorry, man, but I think it could be me...” and he tailed off in embarrassment. 

_Shit! The best thing that ever happened to me, but how can it possibly work? And how can Jim possibly want someone like me anyway? I haven’t anything to offer...!_

“Hey, Chief! Less of the self-deprecation, huh? **I’m** not sorry at all, even if we might have a few problems figuring out how to work together, you being a civilian and all. That is, as long as it’s OK with you?” and this time it was Jim who looked uncertain. After all, he realised he could be putting Blair in potentially dangerous situations, and he needed to know that Blair was truly resolved to be his partner. 

“Oh man, there’s nothing I’d like more! I felt drawn to you the first time I saw you also, but I never thought someone who looked like you would have even noticed me. I mean, can we say ‘short, hairy nerd’?” 

“And that’s quite enough of that, Blair! No one calls **my** Guide a ‘short, hairy nerd’. Even the Guide himself! Now, I don’t know about you, but all this revelation and heart-searching has made me hungry. I could do with some of your lasagne, babe, so how about warming it through again while I set the table?” 

And smiling fit to burst, Blair jumped to his feet to do just that.  


\-----------------------  


Dinner that night was a much quieter affair, because both men had plenty to think about, but it was companionable nevertheless. Once finished, they returned to the couch and continued their conversation, this time to devise a plan by which Blair could work alongside Jim and guide him in the field. 

Having agreed upon a course of action, all it needed was for them to run it by Simon Banks, and they both decided it would be better done sooner rather than later. As Jim suggested that they request to see the Captain the following morning, Blair nodded in agreement, but not without some trepidation. 

“Uh, Jim, it’s only a couple of days before Christmas. Do you think that’ll work in our favour? I mean, ‘Season of Goodwill’ and all that?” 

“Could well be, Junior,” replied Jim with slightly forced cheerfulness. “The Captain’s a proud Dad after all, even if he is estranged from his wife. And this year he gets his son Daryl to visit on Christmas Day itself. Should put him in a good mood.” He grinned reassuringly at Blair, even though secretly he thought he probably knew better. No point in borrowing trouble, though, and worrying Blair unnecessarily. 

As they got ready for bed, and headed to their separate rooms, Jim called down, “Night, Blair!” to which Blair responded, “Night Jim!” then followed up with a low-voiced, “Night John-Boy, Night Grandpa, Night Mary-Ellen...” 

“You channelling ‘The Waltons’?” came the _faux_ irritated voice from above, which had the effect of transforming Blair’s snickers into outright laughter. Gods! He really was enjoying his stay here. He only wished it could go on forever. He’d never felt so welcome before in his short life.  


\-----------------------  


**Following morning, Simon Banks’ office, Major Crimes Unit:**  


Although Jim had rightly suspected that his and Blair’s proposals might not meet with Simon’s immediate approval, he was still disappointed at his boss’s disbelieving attitude and negative response. He could tell that Blair was desperately upset, his face pale and enticing scent tainted with distress, and the inner Sentinel growled at his mate’s undeserved pain. Squeezing the young man’s knee comfortingly, he turned back to meet Banks’ narrow-eyed glare. 

“So, Captain,” he began, voice dripping with barely-controlled anger. “Just what is it that you can’t believe? Do I need to do any more party tricks to convince you that my senses really are enhanced? Or is it simply that you disapprove of my choice of guide? 

“Because I have to tell you right now that Blair is the only person I can work with. He not only understands where I’m coming from and has the necessary background knowledge, but he’s the only person I’ve met since coming ‘online’ who can ground me and settle my senses. I *need* him, Simon!” and he poured every ounce of sincerity of which he was capable into his statement. 

Sitting back with a deep sigh, and looking from one to the other at the two men seated before him, Banks realised he was going to have to compromise somehow if he was going to keep his best detective on his team. But looking at the long-haired hippy wannabe he wasn’t sure how he was going to manage it. Kid looked about twelve, especially with those big hurt puppy dog eyes, and however brilliant he was, he sure didn’t appear to have the physical capability of backing up Ellison on the street. 

On the other hand, Simon had been reluctantly impressed with Sandburg’s enthusiasm and conviction during his mini-lecture on so-called Sentinels, and he was plainly attached to Jim already. Probably a good dose of hero worship going on there also. 

“All right. All right! Say I do believe you. Just how am I going to convince the Chief and Commissioner to let a civilian partner you in the field, Jim? Or have you two got a plan for that also?” 

And he guessed that he really shouldn’t have been surprised when, with a glance at Jim to check out his approval, Blair licked his lips and launched into the next part of their proposal. 

“Uh, well, Sir, you know I’m a Teaching Assistant at Rainier, right?” and at Simon’s brusque nod of affirmation he continued. “Well, I’m also a grad student enrolled in the doctoral programme, and I’ve been toying with several different topics for my dissertation, but hadn’t decided on a specific one yet. And I gotta say my diss committee’s getting a bit impatient. See, I’ve got minors in Psychology and Criminology, but my Masters is in Anthropology, and I wanted to find something that would involve quite a wide number of aspects from several fields of study. 

“And Jim and I came up with the idea of me studying closed societies from the inside. You know, like the Fire Department and the PD, perhaps from the angle of the ‘Thin Blue Line’ concept - you guys standing between the bad guys and the rest of us, OK? Got to say the idea appeals to me, and it would be a good reason for me to apply for a ride-along pass wouldn’t it? I could ride with Jim as an observer in between my responsibilities at the U. 

“See, we’re not sure yet, because it’s still early days, but we think Jim’ll be OK alone for part of the day as long as he doesn’t use the senses overmuch without backup, at least to begin with, and I’ll be around as soon as I can to give him some respite. That’s right, isn’t it, Jim?” he added, turning to his friend for confirmation that he wasn’t overstepping the line. 

“Yeah, that’s right, Chief” replied Jim with a soft smile, which in itself took Simon aback. He certainly couldn’t remember Jim ever directing that sort of look at anyone else before. Even his ex-wife never earned that sort of fondness. Not that she would have appreciated it anyway. 

Directing his attention back to his Captain, Jim took up the thread of the explanation. 

“Blair’s right, Simon. Since he’s been living at my place, and I’ve had plenty of contact with him, I’ve been much more comfortable with my senses during the day as long as I don’t attempt to use them. We know we’ve got lots of work to do to figure out exactly what ranges I have, and how I can learn to control them, but it’s a fact that for simple, everyday existing, having Blair near me is a blessing. I just can’t describe it. 

“And I hope I can persuade him to stay with me at the loft permanently,” he added softly, directing his words more to Blair than to his Captain. “If it works for you, Chief, it’d be a pleasure having a roomie again.” 

And Blair’s face was a picture of wonder and happiness as he beamed at his Sentinel, his smile radiant as he nodded excitedly, saying, “Oh, yeah, Jim! That’d be great--” 

“Well, this is all very touching,” interrupted Simon who was looking positively irritated, and not a little embarrassed at the scene playing before him. “But I’d appreciate it if you took your male bonding elsewhere. Look, it’s Christmas Eve tomorrow, and I’m probably going to regret this, but how about you bring Sandburg into the office tomorrow morning and get the paperwork started. And I’ll put your proposal to the Chief. 

“And I’m thinking that it would probably be a good idea to keep the real reason for Sandburg’s presence to ourselves for now, huh? I’m pretty damned sure the PD’s not ready for this Sentinel voodoo shit. Hell, I’m finding it hard myself! 

“Now go, get out of my office! I need caffeine. Lots of it. I’m going to regret this, I just know it...” and he dismissed them with a grimace and a rueful shake of his head.  


\-------------------  


As Jim steered a rather shell-shocked Blair across the bullpen, he murmured bracingly, “Well, that wasn’t so bad, was it? At least he’s going to give us a chance, Chief, so that’s a good start.” 

“Um, sure, Jim. I mean, you know him better than I do, so I’ll take your word for it,” and he chuckled wryly. 

Just then, two of Jim’s colleagues entered, and both immediately crossed over to join them. 

Inspector Megan Connor was a tall, leggy and very attractive brunette. She was on an officer exchange programme from New South Wales, Australia. A good detective, and very capable, yet she also irritated Jim intensely, and they hated working together on the rare occasions when they couldn’t avoid it. 

The forthright young woman was frequently partnered with Joel Taggart, ex Bomb Squad Captain and now voluntarily reassigned to the Major Crimes Unit. Both regarded Blair with various degrees of undisguised but totally amiable interest. 

“My, you’re cute!” murmured the outspoken Connor, smiling down at him from quite a few inches higher up, much to Blair’s chagrin. “I’m Megan Connor from Down Under, not that you’d notice, mate,” she laughed. “We were wondering when Jimbo was going to bring you in to see us, love. He’s been so much better these last couple of days – almost human! Having said that, Joel was wondering where the pod was hidden...!” 

“Er, pleased to meet you, Megan. I’m Blair Sandburg...” and that was as far as he got before Megan cupped his face in both palms and delivered a sloppy smacker of a kiss on his brow. 

“Good on yer, Sandy!” she said, grinning cheekily and completely ignoring Jim’s soft growl and irate frown as he threw a possessive arm around Blair’s shoulders. 

Smiling gently, Joel stepped forward, effortlessly defusing the potential confrontation by taking Blair’s hand in both of his own. 

“Very pleased to meet you, young man,” he said. “I’m Joel Taggart, and I hope we get to see a lot more of you. You’re certainly making a good impression on Jim!” 

“Hey, thanks, man,” Blair responded with relief. “Blair Sandburg. And it’s good to meet you too, Captain Taggart. I hope I’ll be around more also,” and he directed a happy grin at Jim. 

Relaxing visibly, Jim muttered, “Well, good to see you guys. But Blair has things to do, places to go, so if you’ll excuse us, I’ll see him down to the garage, and catch up with you later.” 

Taking the elevator down to the parking garage, Blair was concerned to note Jim’s rather abstracted air. “Are you OK, man? You’re not having second thoughts are you?” he enquired nervously. 

“Nah, nothing like that, Junior. Just wool-gathering,” Jim replied, not wanting to worry the younger man. Walking over to Blair’s car, he leaned in at the window for a moment as Blair started up. 

“Drive carefully, Chief, and see you tonight, OK?” 

“Yeah, man, you got it! Take care yourself, man, and CALL me if you need me, OK? Even if I haven’t got the official pass yet, I’ll be there for you.” 

And Jim smiled in gratitude saying, “Yeah, I know it, babe. And thanks.”  


\-------------------  


As Blair drove away, Jim watched for a moment, then headed back to the elevator and the MCU. He couldn’t have admitted to Blair what was bothering him, but it had certainly thrown him for a loop. 

He already recognised that Sandburg was a very attractive young man, but it was only when he had seen Megan kiss his partner that he had realised something that had the potential to be either very satisfying or totally destructive. 

He had been totally shocked at his own reactions to Blair, greedily noting the delightfully flushed cheeks, sparkling eyes and shy grin. And he knew without a doubt that he wanted all that for himself and no one else. 

But he wasn’t even sure if Blair was on the same page, hippy lifestyle notwithstanding. 

True, Jim had no problem with same-sex relationships. In the army he had often used a freely-offered buddy fuck to scratch an itch, but there was never any commitment involved. But now he wanted Blair all to himself. His partner in all ways, not just as friend and Guide. 

_Jeez, could life get more complicated?_

With a sigh, he resigned himself to playing the situation by ear, because the last thing he wanted was to scare the young man off. Life without him would surely be intolerable.  


\--------------------  


Christmas Eve dawned bright and clear, to the delight of Blair, who bounced with unaffected glee. The miserable, bone-chilling sleet showers that had been falling intermittently over the last few days had changed in response to the overnight drop in temperature. Cascade was now blanketed in a layer of crisp, honest-to-goodness snow, and Blair loved it. Sure, he hated the cold and wet, but real snow brought out the inner child, and given the opportunity he would have been out playing snowballs or constructing snowmen – or snow-women. 

“Oh man, isn’t it great?” he enthused. “Truly seasonal! Do you think it could last through Christmas Day? That’d be *so* great...!” 

Grinning indulgently at his young friend, Jim said, “Yeah, I think so, kiddo. My spidey-Sentinel forecasting suggests that we’re probably in for some more. 

“So I suggest that we get going, and get down to the PD while we can. And I also suggest that we take my truck, OK? I’ve a feeling that the four-wheel drive will come in very handy, Chief.”  


\----------------  


During the rest of the morning, Blair spent his time filling in the requisite paperwork to obtain his observer’s pass, and being shown around the department; familiarising himself with the routines and databases that he would be utilising when helping Jim. Alternating between shyness and relative reserve when appropriate – such as during his official interview with Captain Banks – and outright enthusiasm, he couldn’t fail to make an impression on everyone he came into contact with. For the most part, the impression was favourable, especially in the light of his positive influence on Jim, who seemed to have smiled more in the last few hours than for many months before, if ever. 

Of course, there were always going to be a few dissenting individuals who questioned why a long-haired hippy student should be granted observer status, but they generally kept their ill-tempered grousing to themselves, especially when they realised that somehow Jim seemed to be able to hear them.... 

When lunchtime came around, Jim suggested that they visit the food court at the mall. It wasn’t that he thought it compared to his favourite drive-thru Wonderburger in any way, but he actually wanted to see if he could tolerate the overpoweringly cheerful seasonal atmosphere when Blair was there to ground him. 

Grinning in approval, Blair bounced enthusiastically, saying, “Sure, man. We can think of it as a test, and it’ll be a great way of learning just how much control you need to use your senses under trying circumstances. And I really like the Thai food stand also!” and he waggled his eyebrows comically, producing a genuine laugh from Jim.  


\--------------------  


A short while later, having dispensed with generous portions of Pad Thai noodles and Thai fish cakes, Jim and Blair sauntered through the busy mall making their way back to the parking garage. Although it was never going to be his favourite scene, Jim was relieved to find that, as long as he concentrated on his companion, listening to Blair’s almost continuous chatter and being able to touch him with a hand on his back or arm when appropriate – or whenever else he could get away with it – he could cope fairly well. 

Grinning down at the bouncing young man at his side, he said, “You know, Chief, I never would have believed I could ever stomach this place voluntarily again, but as long as I’ve got you to ground me, I can survive it. Even the screaming brats!” and he nodded towards a group of noisy kids and their long-suffering parents who were queuing up to see a weary-looking Santa. 

“Aw man, don’t be like that!” chuckled Blair. “Don’t tell me you never sat on Santa’s lap!” 

“Matter of fact I didn’t,” grunted Jim shortly, and Blair refrained from questioning him further at the sight of the older man’s sudden frown. 

“Oooo Kay, man,” he muttered, but as he was about to change the subject, there was a shrill scream from behind them, and they turned to see a hooded figure clutching a woman’s purse sprint across the bustling square and dart out through one of the fire exits into the darkness of a closed loading bay and storage area. 

“Come on, Chief,” snapped Jim, already setting off in pursuit, and without a second thought, Blair followed, running as fast as he could to keep up with Jim’s longer stride. 

As the door shut behind them, they paused in the almost total dark, and Blair was forced to clutch Jim’s jacket as his sight struggled to adjust. Even then, he could barely make out anything in the cavernous space, and he had to consciously clamp down on his instinctive panic reaction. However, he forced himself to concentrate, and murmured to Jim, “Can you see anything, Jim? You should be able to use your sight and hearing, but not smell. There’s a lot of nasty-smelling stuff in here that could set you off, man. Feel my touch, and open your senses, Jim...” and he kept up his gentle rubbing of Jim’s back as the Sentinel did as he was instructed. 

Within seconds Sentinel hearing easily made out gasping breaths coming from behind a stack of pallets at the far end of the crowded storage area, and the gloom of the loading bay posed no problems to Sentinel sight. 

“Come on, Chief, but stay behind me,” he whispered, drawing his service weapon. “Guy’s armed. I can see a knife, but I don’t think he can see us even though he knows we’re here,” and he moved forward stealthily, Blair hanging on to his coat while trying to keep out of the way of Jim’s gun hand. 

Within minutes it was over. The perp literally never saw what hit him as Jim grabbed him from behind, disarming him even as Blair called for a backup unit to take him downtown for booking. Marching the cuffed purse-snatcher back out into the light of the mall, Blair couldn’t help but grin at his Sentinel in pure admiration. 

“Oh man, that was so cool! You were awesome!” he chortled as Jim handed over his captive to the uniforms waiting to take custody of him. Once the exchange was complete, and they were making their own way back to the PD to charge the guy, Jim grinned self-consciously at his excited Guide. 

“Thanks, kiddo. But you do realise I couldn’t have done it so easily without you, don’t you? Your help made it so much quicker and way more efficient. We’re a team, Sandburg, OK?” And Blair’s joyful smile at his words was a sight to behold.  


\------------------------  


Back once more at the PD, Blair’s exuberance was the cause for many a smile, even amongst the most jaded personnel. 

_You’d have thought he’d just caught Jack the Ripper single–handed!_ Jim thought, smiling indulgently at his bouncing partner. However, unlike everyone else, he knew that most of Blair’s glee was due to his being part of the Sentinel and Guide team’s first success rather than the arrest itself, but neither of them were about to explain that phenomenon just yet. The fact that it was a pretty minor misdemeanour had no bearing on Blair’s happiness. 

On the other hand, they were able to explain their actions in detail to Simon Banks, and on that count, they were both quietly gratified at the Captain’s reaction. 

“So, you’re convinced that your senses allowed you to make the capture far easier and more quickly than you’d have expected otherwise,” he murmured musingly. 

“And you say that it was Sandburg’s presence that made it possible, right?” 

At both men’s enthusiastic nods and words of affirmation, he looked from one to the other, plainly considering his response. 

“OK. Well, I know it was hardly a Major Crime per se, but I guess it serves as a good example to sceptics like me that there’s plainly some truth in all this weird Sentinel shit. 

“I still need plenty more convincing,” he added, glaring repressively at Blair in particular, “But you’ve made a good impression so far.” 

Grinning wolfishly at Blair’s nervous gulp, he then continued more kindly, “So, Jim, I’ll see you bright and early in the morning, OK? I won’t be staying long, all being well, because Daryl’s arriving mid-morning,” and his face broke out into a genuinely happy grin. 

“You coming in at all, kid?” 

“Um, probably not Captain,” replied Blair a little diffidently. “I already promised to help out at the homeless shelter from lunch until suppertime, but of course, if Jim needs me, I’ll come,” he added quickly, wanting to reassure Jim of his commitment. 

“Fair enough, kid. Right, you both might as well get off now. You’ll have a long enough shift tomorrow, Jim, although I know the family guys appreciate it. Merry Christmas, both,” and he waved them off, already contemplating how he was going to spend some quality time with his son tomorrow.  


\----------------------  


**Christmas Morning, the loft:**  


It was still dark when Jim tiptoed downstairs to the bathroom, determined not to waken his soundly-sleeping flatmate whose gentle snores emanated from the small room under the stairs. He didn’t need an alarm clock, since he was able to ‘pre-set’ his mental wake-up call – a trick he learned in his army days. 

For the first time in ages he was sorry to be going in to the office on Christmas Day, but it had been far too late to change his duty rota for this year. Having said that, if all went to plan this evening, he intended to amend that option from now on. Seniority had its advantages, and in future he intended to make the most of them. 

Smiling to himself, he replayed the previous evening.  


\------------------------  


Blair had still been bouncing happily when they arrived home, but unsurprisingly it hadn’t been too long until his adrenaline rush faded and he drooped tiredly. 

“Man, I can’t believe I’m so tired!” he had complained. “Shit, I’m a grad student! Long days and late nights are par for the course, man! All-nighters are nothing to this TA, I’m telling you, Jim!” 

“Yeah, but this wasn’t your average all-nighter, was it, Junior? OK, it wasn’t a major bust, but it was your first, and your first as my Guide also. Hell, Chief, you were so hyped I reckon we could have plugged you into the grid and you’d have powered Cascade for several hours all on your own!” 

“Funny, Jim,” his Guide had growled unconvincingly in response, only for his assumed glare to dissipate almost immediately. 

“OK, man, I get you. But I’m sorry I can’t come in with you in the morning, Big Guy. I mean, I will if you really need me, but I promised I’d get down to the shelter as early as possible to start preparing the dinners...” and he tailed off, peering worriedly into Jim’s eyes for reassurance. 

“It’s fine, Chief, really. I admire your commitment, and I think you deserve a bit of a lie-in. Tell you what, if things are as quiet as I hope they’ll be, I’ll probably be back around the same time as you finish at the shelter.” 

Looking relieved, Blair had smiled radiantly at him. “OK, Jim, and thanks. I’ll look forward to seeing you then, but like I said, if you need me, I’ll be there!” and he had taken himself off to bed, yawning as he went. 

Letting himself out of the loft, Jim thought, _I’ll always need you, Chief. You don’t know how much!_  


\------------------------  


Blair finally made his way to the shelter on Chelsea at around 9.30 am. He hadn’t intended to sleep in so long, but he felt so cosy and safe in the loft, that it was easy to take advantage of the opportunity to get some quality rest. He was a little disappointed to have missed Jim at breakfast, but he knew that the detective would have left much earlier than usual for his prolonged Christmas shift. 

To his intense delight, there had been another light snowfall during the night, just enough to freshen the already lying snow, but not enough to prevent him from driving to the shelter, albeit very carefully. He couldn’t help but grin in contented glee as he drove, singing along to the Christmas music CD he had put on, determined to enjoy the mood to the full. 

When he pulled up to the shelter, Barry and Katya, the two regular helpers, were already there. They waved and called a greeting as they unloaded Barry’s elderly panel van, hefting sacks of fresh vegetables and some donated foodstuffs which would all need preparing for the Christmas lunches. 

Relieving Katya of a heavy sack of potatoes, Blair smiled at the older woman, saying, “And a Merry Christmas to you too, Katya! Has this slave-driver” – indicating Barry, who was smirking at the pair of them, – “been working you too hard?” And he ducked the pretend swat Barry aimed at his head. 

“Nah, no more than usual, lover,” she replied, “but it’s good to have some extra hands, my dear. We know we can always rely on you, Blair!” and she patted his cheek as he struggled past on the way to the kitchens. 

As the morning wore on, more helpers turned up at various times, and the kitchens became a hive of activity. 

From the moment he arrived, Blair was on the go, preparing food, decorating the tables and chatting amicably to everyone who dropped by his serving station. He was a firm favourite with many of the homeless folks as he never tried to push or preach at them, keeping conversation as light and amusing as needed. Not that there weren’t a few who appreciated something a little more challenging, and he indulged them also when he had a moment to spare. 

The day flew by, and before Blair knew it, the rush of diners had slowed to a trickle, and finally stopped as the last few finished their meals and made their way either to the dorms if they had secured a bed there for the night, or to wherever else they hung out. 

Although Blair always worried about them, he knew there wasn’t much else he could do to help them practically, but it always warmed his heart when they made a point of seeking him out to thank him and wish him well. 

Finally the doors closed, and Blair, Barry, Katya and the other casual volunteers could sit down and take a breather. 

Always trying to fatten Blair up and care for him as if he was one of her waifs and strays, the cheerful and good-hearted Katya’s maternal instincts were in overdrive as she smiled fondly at her favourite adopted ‘son’. 

“Are you eating with us today dear, or would you prefer to take your meal home with you? We’ve got plenty left, even allowing for leftovers for the residents tomorrow, so you can take enough for you and your new flatmate if you’d like,” and her eyes twinkled with gentle merriment at his delightful blush. 

“Um, that would be great, thanks Katya, that is, if you all don’t mind?” and he glanced anxiously around at the group, not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings by rushing away. 

“’Course not, honey,” one of the other volunteers replied. Angie was a large, middle-aged African American woman with a jolly face and perpetual broad smile, and she too liked the young grad student. 

“We all heard you’ve got someone special at home, honey, so just you get on back to your man!” she added with a knowing chuckle and a wink. 

Gracing them all with a beaming smile, a relieved Blair thanked them and wished them goodnight and a Merry Christmas as he gathered up a good portion of food and made his way back to his car for the drive home to the loft. Because that’s what it felt like. 

Within a mere matter of days, he felt as if he was going home.  


\-------------------------  


Arriving back at the loft, Blair was a little disappointed that Jim wasn’t already there, even though realistically he knew it was highly unlikely anyway. He noticed that the light was flashing on the answer machine, so he pressed ‘play’, just in case there was something urgent he needed to relay to Jim. However, it turned out to be a message from Jim himself, made just a couple of hours ago. 

“Hey, Chief. Just wanted to let you know that things have been pretty quiet so far. Guess the villains are all off celebrating somewhere else, huh? If nothing much happens, I’ll probably be back at the loft around 8.00-ish, OK? 

“Hope you had a good day, and see you soon. ‘Bye, babe.” 

Blair’s happy grin widened at the warmth and timbre of Jim’s words, and his heart swelled with emotion as he contemplated his feelings towards the big detective. Sure, he’d been busy today, but he’d still had plenty of time to think about Jim and what the man meant to him. As he put the food into suitable containers for re-heating, and pottered around setting the table for what would actually be their first Christmas dinner together, he alternated between joy and anxiety as he made his plans. 

Of course he was intensely grateful to Jim for taking him in after the warehouse blew up, but he felt sure that it wasn’t simply because of the Sentinel and Guide aspect. Well, maybe it had been down to instinct at first, but not now. At least he hoped he wasn’t misreading the situation, and imagining there was more to Jim’s behaviour towards him than would have been appropriate for a simple working relationship. 

Truth be told, Blair had never had much in the way of self-esteem, so it didn’t take much to make him uncertain, but he determinedly turned his thoughts away from the contemplation of possible disappointment and concentrated instead on how he hoped the evening would play out. Because he really hoped that he could convince Jim that Blair’s love for him was way deeper than simple hero worship or the fact that he was a Sentinel. 

Finally satisfied with his dinner preparations, he showered and changed into clean clothing before sitting down with a small glass of the wine he had bought the previous day in honour of the occasion, and settled down to wait.  


\-------------------------  


At around 8.15 pm, Jim approached #307, a smile on his face and a spring in his step as he opened his senses and enjoyed what they were telling him. His day had been pretty tedious in one sense – no pun intended – insofar as there had been little activity in Major Crimes. Sure, the PD had had to deal with a good number of traffic incidents – mostly minor and mainly due to the weather conditions – and a good few ‘Drunk and Disorderly’s as people piled out from office parties, but nothing that called for Jim’s expertise. 

The few personnel in the bullpen who had either volunteered like Jim, or who had drawn the short straw to work on Christmas Day had done their best to make the most of their shift, and the atmosphere had been cheerful. 

However, Jim was more than happy to call it a day and make his way home, knowing that this time he had someone waiting for him. Someone he hoped would accept the gift he clutched nervously in his coat pocket. 

He paused just outside the door to the loft, and closed his eyes, savouring the delicious aromas coming from inside. Blair had obviously managed to bring dinner back with him, and it really smelled pretty good. But not as good as the scent of freshly-showered Blair. Now that was a real treat for his sensitive nose. 

His ears also appreciated the sound of soft music playing in the background. Yes, it was still festive, but unobtrusively so, and Jim’s smile widened at the sound of his roomie’s voice humming gently along with the melody. 

Hopefully by the end of the evening Jim’s senses of touch and taste would be satisfied, but now it was time to indulge his sight, so he opened the door and entered. 

And feasted his eyes on the younger man who jumped up to greet him. 

As he had already surmised, Blair had showered and shaved, and was wearing some of his favourite items – not that he had much to choose from, Jim thought wryly. Soft, well-worn but clean jeans hugged his slender hips, and an open blue and black plaid flannel overshirt revealed a royal blue Henley beneath. His hair was loose and floated down to his shoulders in shining waves, and he had put his gold hooped earrings in his pierced lobe. His eyes were bright with joy and excitement, the colour heightened even more by the blue of his shirts, and his lovely face was radiant, with a fetching touch of pink heightening his complexion. 

And if Jim wasn’t already in love with the man, the sight of him now would have certainly done the trick. 

“Hey, Junior, something smells really good. And the table setting looks great! You’ve certainly been busy!” 

“Hey, Jim! I’m so glad you could make it back in good time. I really hoped we would be able to have dinner together,” and he blushed more deeply as he glanced down quickly, peeking up from beneath his lashes to make certain Jim wasn’t offended by his presumption. 

He needn’t have worried, though, as Jim pulled him in for a hug, saying, “Wouldn’t have missed it, kiddo! Well, not intentionally anyway. I’ve been looking forward to this!” and he put Blair away from him a little, so he could gauge Blair’s reaction to his gesture. 

Blair’s face was a picture of joy, and the huge blue eyes were alight with love and happiness. 

“Thanks, man. It’s good of you to say. The dinner’s keeping warm in the stove, so you’ve got plenty of time to shower and change if you want. Not that I’m suggesting you need to!” he added hurriedly. “Just in case you want to get more comfortable, you know?” 

Laughing at the younger man’s unconsciously ingenuous words, Jim replied, “OK, babe. I would like to get into something more comfortable, but I won’t be long. By the time you’ve finished dishing up, I’ll be right back out.” 

Knowing that Jim was a good as his word, and that he’d be done in less than ten minutes, Blair did as he was asked, and began to get the serving dishes out. He also poured a glass of wine for Jim, and topped his own up, hoping that the older man would like his choice. 

As Jim descended the stairs, resplendent in clean but comfortable clothing, he grinned at the repast laid out on the table. 

“Looks fantastic, Chief, and thank you for the wine also. You shouldn’t have, but I appreciate the gesture. If you don’t mind, let’s tuck in straight away. I’m starving!”  


\--------------------  


Dinner was an enjoyable affair, with both men happy to simply relax in each other’s company for the present. Blair kept Jim entertained with his gently humorous word-sketches of the interesting and varied characters he’d interacted with during the day, and Jim reciprocated with a tale of how one of his colleagues had livened up the bullpen. Henri Brown, also known as ‘H’ had dressed up in a Santa suit and proceeded to distribute Twinkies to all and sundry from a paper sack. 

Having been introduced to the detective a just a couple of days ago, Blair laughed delightedly as he pictured the large, jovial African American good-naturedly dispensing good cheer, even if his choice of Twinkies as presents left a bit to be desired, at least for the health-conscious Sandburg. 

Chuckling happily, he said, “Hey, that was really nice of him, but please tell me you didn’t actually *eat* one of those things, man! They make Wonderburgers look healthy!” 

“Well, I couldn’t really say ‘no’, now could I?” replied Jim a tad shame-facedly. “But I promise it was only one, Chief, honest!” and Blair just had to laugh at his assumed piteous expression. 

Meal over and clean up done – because the Sentinel in Jim insisted on it even on Christmas Day – they took a last glass of wine and settled in front of the cheerfully blazing fire, sitting side by side on the sofa. 

Encouraging Blair to move up next to him, Jim turned sideways on so he could study Blair carefully face to face as he geared himself up for what was to come. 

Knowing instinctively that something important was brewing, because his own nervousness was reacting the same way, Blair bit his lip slightly as he met Jim’s gaze with a direct one of his own, large round eyes encouraging Jim to speak even as they held a tinge of anxiety in the blue depths. 

Taking one of Blair’s hands in both of his own, Jim gently stroked the soft skin over the knuckles as he began. 

“I hope I’m not making a fool of myself here, Chief, but there’s something I need to ask you, but only after I’ve explained one or two things first, OK? And if at any point you’re uncomfortable with what I’m trying to say, just tell me, OK? The last thing I want to do is scare you off, Chief. I want you to stay with me in whatever capacity you’re most comfortable with.” 

At Blair’s nod of understanding and questioning look, he continued. 

“I know we’ve only known each other for a few days, but as far as I’m concerned, it feels like a lifetime. In the best possible way. I feel like I know you better than any other person in my life so far, and I already know for sure that I want it to last. 

“There’ll be plenty of folks at the PD who’ll be only too quick to tell you that I’ve got a reputation for being a loner, and a short-tempered one at that, but I hope you’ll take me as you find me, Blair. 

“It’s true that I’ve a lousy track record with relationships – my disastrous attempt at marriage to Carolyn is a good example – but I want you, Blair, any way I can have you.” 

Spurred on by the open and honest expression on his Guide’s face, he took his courage in both hands and reached into his pocket. 

Pulling out a small jeweller’s box, he opened it up to show two matching white gold bands. Nothing fancy, but tasteful and inconspicuous. Looking back up to meet Blair’s rapt gaze, he said, “I want us to be a committed partnership, Blair. Not just for the Sentinel and Guide stuff, but as life partners also. I’ll understand if friendship is as far as you want to take it, as long as you’ll say you accept my proposal. 

“But I have to say that I find you extremely attractive, Chief, and I’d like for us to be together in that way if I haven’t misread you,” and he tailed off, gazing earnestly at his companion, silently pleading for a positive response. 

His fears were replaced by extraordinary relief and happiness when Blair raised his other hand to cover both of Jim’s between his own, conscious of the small box within their shared grasp that held the material symbols of so much promise. 

Eyes somewhat teary, and swallowing hard around the emotional lump in his throat, Blair whispered, “Oh Jim! Thank you so much! You’ve made me so very happy, man. I love you too, Jim, and not just the Sentinel either. I love Jim the man who took me in when I needed shelter, and who has made it possible for me to work with him. And who cares for me even if I have nothing to offer but my love and my willingness to try and guide you. 

“I wanted so much to get you a gift for Christmas, but couldn’t find anything suitable that I could afford. So I was going to offer you myself...” and his words trailed away as he blushed and lowered his gaze in shyness, and also because he couldn’t bear it if he was to see disdain or mockery in Jim’s eyes at his confession. 

Touched to his core by the young man’s response, Jim carefully pulled his hands free and cupped Blair’s chin in one warm palm. 

“Look at me, Sweetheart,” he murmured, and when shy eyes rose to meet his, he said, “I think that has to be the best present I’ve ever had, and ever will have, baby. You’ve made me a very happy man, and I’d like to give you this now to seal our pact.” 

Taking Blair’s left hand in his own, he slid the smaller band onto Blair’s ring finger before raising it to his lips for a gentle kiss. 

Face alight with awe and love, Blair whispered, “May I?” and at Jim’s nod of agreement, took the other ring and repeated the action on Jim’s hand. 

Jim looked at their joined hands for a moment, admiring the glow of the matching bands before deeming the moment right to take his first kiss. 

As he bent slowly towards Blair’s upturned face, giving the younger man plenty of time to withdraw if he changed his mind, he met the soft, lush lips with the gentlest touch possible, loving the sensation of smooth skin and the faintest tickle of bristles despite Blair’s recent shave. And he found it intoxicating. 

He dipped down again, aware of Blair’s hand wrapping around the back of his neck, plainly wanting and needing more, so he didn’t disappoint. Delving into the willing mouth, he was almost overwhelmed with the wonderful taste of his Guide, and the contrasting textures of teeth, tongue and gums, and he explored them to the full until breathing became a necessity for them both. 

“Oh man,” Blair finally found enough breath to pant. “That was amazing, Jim. Way better than I could ever have imagined,” and he blushed again, a little annoyed at himself for reacting like some teenage schoolgirl. 

“Oh yeah!” drawled Jim. “And I gotta say, baby, that I can really recommend Sentinel senses when you’re having so much fun!” and he leered playfully at his friend. 

Becoming serious again, he cupped Blair’s face as he murmured, “Are you truly OK with this, babe? ‘Cos if you are, I’d love to take you to bed to consummate our union. But I need to know if you’ve ever done this before. I don’t want to scare you, or worse still, hurt you.” 

And Blair smiled softly, eyes full of trust as he answered, “I know you won’t, Jim. I admit I’ve never gone the whole way with a guy before – didn’t trust them enough to take the chance – but I’ve never had anything against the idea. I mean, I love women, but my mom Naomi always taught me that the package was unimportant if you really love someone. And I really love you, Jim. And I want you to teach me. I want to learn what you need and how to give it to you.” 

Eyes alight with passion tempered with tenderness; Jim gently lifted him to his feet and led him upstairs to the main bedroom. Undressing the slender body with reverence, he laid Blair down on the large bed before stripping off himself and settling down beside him. 

Rolling over to look down into Blair’s shining eyes, he said, “Tell me what you want, baby,” and Blair knew instinctively what Jim needed to hear. 

“Take me, my Sentinel. Make me yours. I want us to be as one, Sentinel and Guide forever.” 

And Jim did. 

**Merry Christmas!**


End file.
